Island Wedding
by Dragonwing5
Summary: Story 4 in the 'NewComers' series! The XMen go to a wedding! But it's where the wedding is being held that makes it exciting. This is a short prequel to one of the most important stories about Cora, Samantha, Linzie and the other XMen. Please R&R!


One  
  
It was still early morning when a large envelope was deposited in the mailbox of the Xavier institute. All that was written on it was:  
  
'Personal and Confidential  
  
To be given to S. De Lombre,  
  
L. Compton or C. Wood  
  
ONLY.'  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey Cora, looks like you guys got a letter." Kitty said cheerfully as she walked into the den and laid the envelope on the table where Linzie, Cora and Samantha were sitting. One look at the envelope and all three of them knew exactly where it had come from. "Thanks," Cora murmured. At a nod from Sam, Linzie picked up the letter and all three of them retreated to the kitchen. Rogue and Evan walked in just in time to catch the puzzled look on Kitty's face. "What's up?" Rogue asked, following her gaze to the closed kitchen door. "Linzie, Cora and Sam got some kind of letter and I guess they didn't want anyone else to see it." "Weird," Evan said, "Well, guess the only thing to do is go in there and see what it is." "But." Kitty didn't even get the chance to stop him from walking right through the kitchen door. She sighed and trailed after Rogue to see if he'd get killed or not.  
They walked in just in time to stand with Evan and watch the three friends burn the letter. "What's that all about?" Rogue asked, "Why'd ya burn that letter?" "Is something wrong?" Kitty asked. Sam looked up, "No, nothing's wrong. We just need to talk about something. Then we'll tell you about it." With that they walked out, headed up to Sam's room, and shut the door. * * *  
  
By the time Sam, Linzie and Cora finished talking, everyone else in the mansion knew about the burnt letter and several individuals had staked out outside Samantha's bedroom door.  
They had made their decision, and gathered everyone in the Professor's study to explain about the letter.  
"Well," Linzie began, "Knowing Evan, everyone here should know about the letter we got. And we've talked about it, and decided we trust you guys enough to tell you what's going on.  
"There isn't any bad news, in fact it's great news. A friend of ours, Anna, is getting married next week and wants us to come."  
"Well that's nothing!" Kurt said, "Is it?" "It's not as much as what's happening," Cora explained, "more like where it's happening."  
"What does that mean?" Jean asked. "Like we said, we talked about it and we think it will be alright if we tell you about." Cora glanced at Sam. "Arliah." Samantha finished for her.  
"Arliah?" Scott asked doubtfully, "What's Arliah?" "It's an island." Linzie said, "It's very small, very secluded, and almost no radar can pick it up." "It's where Anna lives and is getting married." Cora put in. "See, Anna's a mutant." Sam said, "And Arliah is a mutant hide-away."  
  
Two  
  
"Your really serious about this aren't you?" Hank asked excitedly, "You're not putting us on?"  
Cora shook her head, "Nope. Arliah is a real place, and one of our friends there is getting married."  
"Why didn't ya tell us about this when ya first came here?" Logan asked. "We didn't know if we could trust you or not." Linzie said.  
"Wow," was all Kitty could say. "So," Samantha finished, "Do you want to come with us or not? Because either way, we're going."  
Kitty and Kurt looked hopefully at Professor Xavier, who so far hadn't said anything. "Can we go?" Kurt asked.  
"Well," Professor Xavier thought a moment, "I don't see why everyone can't go if they want to."  
"Yeah! All right!" Kitty whooped, "This'll be great!" "Yeah," Kurt agreed, "And we'll get to meet other mutants too." "Sounds like fun." Jean said, "You going Scott?" "I suppose so." He said.  
Finally, after much discussion, it was decided that everyone would go. Though on Sam, Cora and Linzie's terms. They would take the jet, but everyone except the three of them and the Professor would be blindfolded. They explained it's what they had to do if they ever brought anyone else to the island, for safety precautions. And Jean promised not to use her powers to see where they were going. It was all settled, they would leave the next week. * * *  
  
"So how did you guys find out about this place?" Rogue asked as she, Linzie and Kitty walked up to the high school. "Jack told us about it."  
  
"Jack, your boss Jack?" Kitty asked. "Yep," Linzie said, "He has a brother there. He keeps a look out here and sends new mutants over if they need a place to stay away from normal people, and his brother, Al, takes care of the island and the mutants on it. They're a very good team."  
"Who's a very good team?" a voice behind them sneered. They turned around to find the Brotherhood boys starring them right in the face. "None of your business." Rogue snapped. The Brotherhood had tried to get Linzie, Cora and Sam on their side almost as soon as they'd gotten there. They just didn't know when to give up. Linzie dating Sabertooth didn't help things that much either since he was in league with them at one time. "C'mon," Lance said, "When are you gonna dump these X-Geeks and join the side that's actually gonna get somewhere?" "Oh, what you mean yours?" Linzie asked coolly, "Thanks but we're going to stay where we are." "Oh really?" Pietro leered, "You never know what can happen." "Careful man," Toad joked, "She might set her boyfriend on us!" They roared and laughed so hard Toad fell to his knees.  
Linzie smiled calmly, "You know I just might." That stopped their laughter in its tracks. Todd got a little pale. With that they turned around and left the Brotherhood boys very paranoid.  
  
Three  
  
"Everyone ready to go?" Scott asked as they finished loading everything onto the jet. "Yeah!" Kurt and Evan shouted. Seat belts were buckled, blindfolds were put on and they set off for Arliah.  
  
* * *  
  
"Are we there YET?" Evan moaned, "It's been at least FIVE hours!" "Be patient," Linzie sighed, "For the umpteenth time, we have to take the long way. It's protocol, we're just following the rules." "Well these rules are putting my butt to sleep." Grumbled Evan. "We didn't need to know that Spiky." Kitty spat irritably. "You can stop fighting now," Cora commented. "Why is THAT?" Evan said sarcastically. "Because," Cora pulled off his blindfold, "We're here." "Thank goodness!" Jean pulled off her own blindfold, "If I had to listen to one more hour of that." "Well don't worry about it." Sam setting the jet into auto-land and stretching, "The trip's over."  
  
They'd landed in a small field and a small town was just visible in the distance. "Everybody ready?" Linzie asked when they'd unloaded and distributed everything. "Let's go!" Kitty said excitedly. They walked a little ways and came to a small dirt road leading strait towards the town. "So Cora," Kitty bubbled as they walked, "What can your friend Anna do?" Cora hefted one of her bags further on her hip, "Well, Anna can change the color of things." "How so?" intrigued, Hank walked over beside them. "She can touch something and make it a different color than what it really is." Cora explained, "Like one time, she got really mad at another friend of ours and turned his skin pink." "Pink!" Kitty shrieked, "That's great! I can't wait to meet her!" "It should only be about another twenty minutes or so before we get to town." Linzie said from behind them, "And I think Joy is going to meet us half way. At least that's what she said in her letter." "Who's Joy?" Scott asked. Samantha pointed ahead of them, "THAT'S Joy."  
The girl walking toward them made the boys' jaws drop. At LEAST seven feet tall at a glance, Joy resembled nothing more than a statue made of red clay. Red skin covered HUGE muscles and a braid of orange hair whipped in front of soot gray eyes. Despite the possibility of being mistaken for a runaway from a museum, Joy was actually very trim for her size. (And quite attractive once you got a closer look.) "Hey!" Joy hugged all three of her friends at once, and picked up a bag from each of them, grinning broadly. "It's about time you got here." Linzie smiled and introduced the group behind them, certain teenage boys' jaws still not yet retrieved. "Nice to meet you!" Joy's voice boomed, "I knew these three had made some new friends, but I didn't think there'd be so many!" "It's good of you to come and meet us," Professor Xavier said, "We're glad to have come." "Great! Well, let's get going! Anna couldn't wait for her three most important bridesmaids to get here."  
  
Four  
  
Finally they made it to the town. There was a grocery store, small shopping strip and three restaurants (one with a big sign that said: AL'S) all grouped together on one side of the road and a scattering of houses on the other side. No two houses looked alike, and some looked downright odd. (Coincidentally, it was called 'The Snowflake Shacks')  
  
"Well, this is it." Linzie said, "The little town of Arliah on the little island of Arliah." "Yep," Joy shifted the one of the bags slung over her shoulder, "It's not much to look at, but it's home." "It's nice," Kitty said, "It's cozy." "You wanna take all this stuff to your house before everybody else finds out you're here?" Joy asked. Samantha nodded, "Yeah, that sounds good." "You guys have a house?" Rogue asked as they headed towards the neighborhood. "Well sure," Cora laughed, "Otherwise we'd be sleeping on the floor at AL'S." Passing houses, the X-Men noticed each home had a name. One house that resembled a greenhouse was called: 'Rainforest Shack'. Another that had a HUGE pool in the back was: 'The Aquarium'. Everything from 'Twin Chateau' to 'The Butterfly Hive', each house had a name that suited its design. (And it's owner no doubt.) "Here it is," Linzie said. They came to a small, white and yellow, plantation-looking house with a wraparound porch. The sign by the mailbox read: 'Mutation Plantation Inn'. "Why is it called that?" Jean asked. "Because, since we aren't here for long periods of time," Cora explained, "Any new arrivals to the island or anybody who just doesn't want to sleep in their own house can come here. All they have to do is ask Al for the key." Samantha unlocked the door and they were just finishing putting everything up when. "I THOUGHT I heard you were home!!" Before they knew what was happening, a stout Italian woman was hugging Linzie, Cora and Samantha like her life depended on it. "It's so good to see you girls! You just get prettier every time I see you!" Linzie laughed, "It's good to see you too, Nona. And we're glad to be back. These are our new friends," she introduced the X-Men, and each introduction was followed by a crushing hug from Nona. "Well you just HAVE to show them around our little town!" "We will," Samantha said, "But Nona?" "Yes?" "Who's watching your restaurant?" "Oh!" Nona fluttered around, giving quick hugs and dashing out the door. "That's our Nona," Cora sighed, "Most loving woman you'll ever meet, but such a scatter brain it's scary." "Is she a mutant?" Evan asked. "No, she's just a regular little Italian lady who loves to cook. Her husband and son are mutants though." "You mean she married a mutant hands down after all the bad publicity we keep getting?" Scott asked doubtfully, "His mutation must not be visible." "Oh far from it," Said Linzie after tucking the last suitcase in the hall closet, "In fact, he's pretty scary looking in most peoples' opinion." "What does he look like?" Hank asked. "Kind of like a cross between a lizard and a bird." "Seriously?" Kurt asked. "Yep," Cora said, "Now, how about we show you around? Anna's probably in a fit to find us by now." Professor Xavier nodded, "Let's go then."  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh! You're finally here!" Anna cried when she saw the group walking down the street. "I would have simply DIED if the three of you couldn't have come!" Anna was small and blonde, she was so excited to see Sam, Linzie and Cora that her clothes began to whirl like rainbows. (They said she could change the color of things, didn't they?) More hugs were exchanged and new friends were re-introduced. Anna whisked Cora, Linzie and Sam away to be fitted for bridesmaids gowns, leaving the rest at AL'S. Al was a carbon copy of his brother Jack, the only difference was that his laugh was even LOUDER than Jack's. (Believe it or not.) Al told them all about the island, and they told him about life at the institute. They met some of Sam, Cora and Linzie's island friends. Of course Joy was there. Then there was Miriam, a twelve-year-old girl who could see through..quite a few things. (You do the math.) Another was Adam, Nona's son, he had his father's wings and his mother's eyes. Dana had an eye development sort of like Scott's, in that she had to wear special glasses. Only when she took off HER glasses the entire room went dark and her eyes glowed with all the light that had been in the room. They met many different mutants, from the couple who owned the 'Rainforest Shack'. One who could grow flowers in seconds, and another who could make it as humid AS A RAINFOREST. To the resident of 'The Aquarium', who had to drink water constantly to keep herself together. (Literally, unfortunately.) But the one mutant who caught quite a few eyes was Rue. A little older than Linzie, Rue had milk-white skin that looked like it was made of porcelain. White hair curled around a small, golden horn in his forehead. A pale blue gaze held all the girls', (even Ororo!) and it seemed like if they blinked he would disappear. When Cora, Sam and Linzie came back he hugged each of them and kissed them on the lips. (Needless to say he didn't when Logan's favor.) Samantha had to explain later on when they were alone that that was how Rue greeted any female friends of his. "If I had been a fat, sixty-year-old frump," she had explained calmly, "He STILL would have kissed me. Because I'm one of his friends, that's just the way he is Logan." "Alright," he'd growled, wrapping an arm around her waist, "For his sake that's all it'd better be." "Jealous are you?" Sam teased, slipping away from him. "Just making sure you're MINE." He caught her again and kissed her. Just then Nona had come bustling into the house with dinner, so the "argument" was settled.  
  
Five  
  
Wedding bells tolled, dresses rustled down the isle and a party was held. Anna's new husband was an artist, not a mutant, just an ordinary artist who loved color almost as much as his wife. (Hence the connection.) When it was time to leave the entire island population came to see them off. (About 150 mutants/humans.) "Come back soon!" Nona blubbered, squeezing each of them with all her might. "We will, Nona." Linzie smiled, "Don't worry."  
  
"And you need to write and let everyone know how you're doing." Dana said. "I'll start as soon as we get home!" Cora laughed, hugging her one more time.  
Rue didn't say anything, in fact he hadn't the entire three days they had been there. He just handed Samantha, Linzie and Cora each a letter and kissed them again. "Why didn't Rue talk any?" Kitty had asked later on the way home. "Because," Linzie said, fiddling fondly with the letter he'd given her, "Part of his mutation is that when he talks, the sound is so unbelievably beautiful..that you almost want to KILL him it makes you feel so good." "Wow." Jean said softly. "Except when he's mad," Cora said sadly, "When he's mad and he talks, it makes you feel so bad that you want to kill YOURSELF. It's not fair for him though, never being able to say what he wants."  
"But it's good he has the island," Charles Xavier said comfortingly, "Otherwise things might be worse off for him and the people he cares about." "You're right, I KNOW you're right." Cora sighed, "But it still isn't fair." "You're right."  
  
* * * They were quiet most of the way home. And Cora felt very strange for some reason. Something was stirring inside of her, and she had no idea what it was. She didn't think it was something bad, but she didn't think it was something FAIR either.  
  
Author's End Note:  
Ok, so the brotherhood mutants didn't have a big debut. But when I started this fic I didn't know it would go in this particular direction. But I'm glad it did, because now I have a plot for the 5th 'Newcomers' story. It will most likely be the most definitive one in the series. (And the brotherhood plays a MUCH bigger part.) Later!  
~Dragonwing 


End file.
